UN Conference on Combatting Desertification Kicks Off in Riyadh
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Riyadh, Dec 3 (NationPress) The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has commenced in this city, emphasizing the need for global collaboration to restore land and improve drought resilience.
Running until December 13 under the theme “Our Land. Our Future,” this event signifies a major milestone as the largest UN conference focused on land issues to date and is notably the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, as reported by Xinhua.
During the opening ceremony on Monday, Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UNCCD, underscored the importance of land restoration, labeling it as “one of the most effective tools” to tackle significant challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, economic inequality, forced migration, and even global instability.
The executive secretary pointed out that by 2050, as many as 7.5 billion people will experience the consequences of drought, urging for immediate action.
“Together, we can reverse the trends of land degradation and construct a more resilient world against drought,” he emphasized.
Additionally, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen AlFadley, mentioned that over three billion people suffer from land degradation annually due to the loss of 100 million hectares of land, forests, and grasslands.
“This will lead to increased levels of migration, instability, and security challenges among many communities,” he added.
During the ongoing COP 16, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the UNCCD, delegates are anticipated to agree on collective actions aimed at accelerating land restoration, boosting resilience to droughts and sandstorms, restoring soil health, and expanding nature-positive food production by 2030 and beyond.
